Aristotle on Practical Truth

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ancient, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book Aristotle on Practical Truth by C. M. M. Olfert, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: C. M. M. Olfert ISBN: 9780190695378
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: September 6, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: C. M. M. Olfert
ISBN: 9780190695378
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: September 6, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Aristotle's theories of truth, practical reasoning, and action are some of the most influential theories in the history of philosophy. It is surprising, then, that so little attention has been given to his notion of practical truth. In Aristotle on Practical Truth, C.M.M. Olfert gives the first book-length treatment of this notion and the role of truth in our practical lives overall. She offers a novel account of practical truth: practical truth is the distinguishing function (ergon) of our capacity for practical reason, and it is a special kind of truth which shares a standard of correctness with our desires. According to this account, practical truth is the truth about what is good simpliciter (haplôs) for a particular person in her particular situation. As such, it conforms to Aristotle's technical theory of truth. Olfert argues that, understood in this way, Aristotle's notion of practical truth is an attractive idea that illuminates the core of his practical philosophy. But it is also an idea that challenges a common view, often attributed to Aristotle, that in practical reasoning, we aim at action or acting well as our primary goals, while in theoretical reasoning, we aim primarily at truth and knowledge. Olfert shows that in dialogues such as Charmides, Protagoras, and Republic, Plato describes practical reasoning as being concerned equally and inseparably with grasping the truth and with acting well. She then argues that Aristotle develops this Platonic picture with his notion of practical truth, and with a technical notion of rational action as fitting ourselves to the world. Using key texts from the Nicomachean and Eudemian Ethics, as well as De Anima, Metaphysics, De Interpretatione and Categories, among others, Olfert demonstrates that practical truth deserves to be taken seriously as a central and plausible Aristotelian idea.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Aristotle's theories of truth, practical reasoning, and action are some of the most influential theories in the history of philosophy. It is surprising, then, that so little attention has been given to his notion of practical truth. In Aristotle on Practical Truth, C.M.M. Olfert gives the first book-length treatment of this notion and the role of truth in our practical lives overall. She offers a novel account of practical truth: practical truth is the distinguishing function (ergon) of our capacity for practical reason, and it is a special kind of truth which shares a standard of correctness with our desires. According to this account, practical truth is the truth about what is good simpliciter (haplôs) for a particular person in her particular situation. As such, it conforms to Aristotle's technical theory of truth. Olfert argues that, understood in this way, Aristotle's notion of practical truth is an attractive idea that illuminates the core of his practical philosophy. But it is also an idea that challenges a common view, often attributed to Aristotle, that in practical reasoning, we aim at action or acting well as our primary goals, while in theoretical reasoning, we aim primarily at truth and knowledge. Olfert shows that in dialogues such as Charmides, Protagoras, and Republic, Plato describes practical reasoning as being concerned equally and inseparably with grasping the truth and with acting well. She then argues that Aristotle develops this Platonic picture with his notion of practical truth, and with a technical notion of rational action as fitting ourselves to the world. Using key texts from the Nicomachean and Eudemian Ethics, as well as De Anima, Metaphysics, De Interpretatione and Categories, among others, Olfert demonstrates that practical truth deserves to be taken seriously as a central and plausible Aristotelian idea.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book South Korea in the Fast Lane by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book Language Universals by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book The Nervous Stage by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book Learning Together by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book AIDS and the Ecology of Poverty by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book Business and the Roberts Court by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book 4E Cognition and Eighteenth-Century Fiction by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book Famine, Affluence, and Morality by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book William Faulkner by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book The City of the End of Things by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book In the Shadow of Melting Glaciers by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book Heaven and Hell: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book When Doing the Right Thing Is Impossible by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book The Girl with Green Eyes Starter Level Oxford Bookworms Library by C. M. M. Olfert
Cover of the book Rebuilding Zion by C. M. M. Olfert
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy